Birds in Sanskrit Literature effect....a fine male bird, for many years the unconfined pet of the Sepoys in one of the North Cachar stockades, sounded the reveille, every morning with absolute correctness and punctuality." The reveille, sounded on an army bugle, consists of three parts, each made up of 20 or 21 notes. The first and the third parts are identical in composition but the notes of the second are differently arranged. The reveille is full toned and very melo- dious, and the ability to repeat it to perfection combined with a time-sense bespeaks both considerable intelligence and wonderful powers imitation for the bird. No wonder, it has been described as afar (intelligent) in the Vaijayanti Kośa, and as a (a perfect mimic) in Kalpadru Kośa. It was held in great esteem by the ancient Indians and is still a valued pet with the aristocracy and bird-fanciers fearless and most amusing with its imitations of noises about the house and garden (Whistler). The Large Racket-tail, , is clearly mentioned as a mimic, and 66 a beautiful song-bird in the following verses: विहगो भृङ्गराजोऽयं शालस्कन्धसमास्थितः सङ्गीतमिव कुर्वाण: कोकिलस्यानुकूजति ।। एवं विचिवाः पतगा नानारावविराविण: ★ भृङ्गराजप्रमुदिताः सौमित्त्रे मधुरस्वराः॥ भृङ्गराजाधिगीतानि... वनान्युपवनानि च चकोरैः शतपतंश्च भृङ्गराजैस्तथा शुरुः कोकिलैः कलविश्व हारीतर्जीवजीवकः प्रियकैश्चातकंचव तथा अन्य विविधैः खगैः श्रोवरम्यं सुमधुरं कूर्जा द्भः.... 11 शुकैश्च भृङ्गराजश्व चित्रकैश्च समन्ततः कूजितान्तरशब्दैश्च सुरम्याणि च सर्वशः।
पारावतान्यभूतसारसचक्रवाक- दात्यूहहंसशुकतित्तिरिवहणां यः । कोलाहलो विरमतेऽचिरमात्रमुच्चैः भृङ्गाधिपे हरिकथामिव गायमाने । Rāmāyaṇa, II.95a.13¹, 1. This is from an interpolated chapter. Ibid. IV. 1.26-27. Ibid. VI. 39.11. Vayu P. Ch. 36.2-4. The highest compliment has been paid the bird in the following verse, in which recalling how a noisy congregation becomes still the moment a devotional song is begun, the poet says: M.Bh. III. 158.52-54. Bh. P. III. 15.18. 67 Drongos The discordant uproar of all other birds is hushed (i.e. no one cares to listen to them) as soon as the Bhrigardja begins to sing, as it were, the story of the Lord. The bird has been named Bhrigadhipa due to exigency of the metre but clearly as a synonym for Bhrigaraja. Commentators, and following them M. Williams, have rendered Bhrngädhipa as the large Black Bee and the reason for this bias lies in the fact that the Indo-Aryans became lovers of the Giant Honey-bee (Apis dorsata) some time after their arrival in India (RV mentions it as Saragha) and the Black Bee became an obsession with the later poets. In point of fact the humming of the Bees has no place at all in comparison with the loud sonorous notes of the birds named in the verse. The misinterpretation is also due to bhraga meaning primarily the Black Bee, and, by transfer after its shining black colour, the Black Drongo. Anyway, the real beauty of the above passage has often been lost to many readers of the Purana. Finally, it is a pity that not a single member of this family, not even the Bhṛngarāja (v.1. Paingarāja), finds a place in the works of the great Sanskrit poets.
